This Frozen Wasteland
by NuitSansEtoiles
Summary: When the prince of the Fire Nation comes to a small village in the South Pole to find the Avatar, he finds more than he bargained for. Sort of AU: loosely based on Disney's Pocahontas.


**Title:** This Frozen Wasteland  
**Rating:** PG  
**Warnings:** None  
**Word Count:** 2,098  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine.  
**Summary:** For the Animated Zutara Challenge: Pocahontas at katarazuko at LiveJournal! When the prince of the Fire Nation comes to a small village in the South Pole to find the Avatar, he finds more than he bargained for.  
**A/N:** The plot is loosely based on Disney's Pocahontas. The major themes explored in the movie are here as well, but the characters follow the established characterizations in Avatar. It is somewhat AU, in the sense that the characters are all two years older, and Aang hasn't been found yet, and this is not just for the mere advancement of the plot. Basically, this is about the Southern Water Tribe in the South Pole, not the Gaang's travels. The beginning of the fic, Zuko is based on Season 1 Zuko, just as a warning. Enjoy!

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**This Frozen Wasteland**

**Part I: The Arrival**

"Keep going! We're going to make it!"

Crackling strands of blue lightning spliced through the darkened sky, its flashes temporarily illuminating the black ship as it swung precariously in the deafeningly roaring waves. Claps of thunder shook the cold air itself, and towering waves flooded the deck. Sailors screamed as wave after wave crashed onboard, sinking the hulking metal ship little by little.

"I see land! _I see land_!"

The tempestuous rain continued to pelt down relentlessly, mixing with the salty spray of ocean water. Each icy drop chilled to the bone as it met clammy skin.

"Sir, we mustn't go on! There are icebergs everywhere; it's too dangerous to navigate in this weather!"

"_I don't care_! The Avatar is there, and we _will_ go!"

"But sir—"

"_I'm_ the commander of this ship, and what _I_ say goes, Lieutenant! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir, but—"

"We are very, very close to capturing the Avatar, and I won't let this opportunity pass me by! Do you understand me?"

"Please, sir. Consider the safety—"

"_Enough_, Lieutenant! Tell the men to return to their posts! I will _not_ tolerate insubordination."

There was a pause in which frantic shouting could be heard from the deck.

"Yes, sir."

-..-

"Dad!" shouted a blue-eyed girl as she ran toward the small, assembled crowd welcoming their chief and his warriors back from war.

Her bright, shining eyes were brimming with unshed tears, and she beamed happily. Closely following at her heels was her equally delighted brother. The crowd parted for them, and the two siblings threw themselves on their father, and all three fell to the ground from the impact. Chief Hakoda laughed mirthfully at the sight of his children and ruffled his daughter's hair.

"We missed you, Dad," said Sokka quietly, burrowing his face in his father's shoulder and clutching his coat tightly in his fist.

"I've missed you too," said Hakoda, breathless. "It would, however, be very nice to be able to breathe again."

Brother and sister jumped up, and Hakoda stood up, a smile on his lips.

"I think this victory calls for a celebration!" said the chief to his tribe, and the crowd cheered.

The members of the Southern Water Tribe left their leader to his family as they began to prepare for the night's festivities, with smiles on their faces and laughter on their lips.

"Have you two been behaving well?" asked Hakoda. "Have you been giving Gran-Gran a hard time?"

"Of course not!" answered Sokka. "We were perfect! I even taught the boys how to be warriors. But, really, Dad, I could have gone with you. I can fight!"

"I know you can Sokka," replied his father, "but it's very important that you stay here because if anything happens to me, you will lead the tribe. You're needed here, and besides, the world of war isn't nearly as glorious as they always make it to be."

"I still could have gone," muttered Sokka stubbornly.

"One day, when you have your own son, you will understand," said Hakoda with finality. "After all, we can't leave your sister all by herself."

Sokka seemed to concede, but Katara glared at them both.

"I'm a waterbender!" she said indignantly. "In fact, I'm the _only_ waterbender in the entire Southern Water Tribe, and I can perfectly defend myself, thank you."

"Of course you can, Katara," said Hakoda. "You're a big girl now. I'm sure you can defend yourself."

Katara had the nagging suspicion that her father was merely appeasing her, but she chose not to comment.

"Speaking of which," her father said, "I think it's time for us to talk about your, well… future, Katara."

She frowned as her father nodded to Sokka, who departed reluctantly, leaving father and daughter alone. She had a disconcerting and ominous feeling about what the subject of the conversation would be. Nevertheless, she waited quietly for her father to begin, hoping that she was just being paranoid.

"You're sixteen now," he began slowly, studying her face. "You already are a young woman. Do you know what this means?"

Of course she knew. Her gaze locked on the nervous shuffling of her feet, and her fingers clenched into fists.

"No, Dad," she said, her gaze unmoving.

"You are of marrying age, Katara," her father said softly.

She shifted her gaze away, watching the penguins in the distance plunge into the freezing water of the Antarctic. Her heart seemed to plummet as well. She had known that this was inevitable, but once the day had now actually come, she still felt overwhelmingly unprepared.

"I won't force you into anything you don't want to do," he continued, looking at her intensely. "You understand this, of course?"

She nodded numbly in response.

"It would be very appreciated, though, if you would take an offer into consideration," he said cautiously.

Her head snapped up to meet her father's solemn face.

"Offer?" she asked incredulously. "There's already been an offer?"

"Yes," he answered calmly. "It's from a very respectable young man, a war hero, in fact. I have hardly seen anyone fight quite like him, though of course, don't tell your brother. He would make you a fine husband, Katara."

"I'm not ready to get married, Dad!" she said anxiously. "I don't care who he is. I don't want to."

"Takeshi is one of the best young men in the village," he said.

"But—but Takeshi's so—so… well, he's kind of, just a little bit, well… _boring_," she finally concluded lamely.

"Just give it some thought," he said, placing a strong hand on her shoulder. "I'm not asking you to make a decision now, but just think about it."

She sighed in resignation. "Fine, I will."

"Thank you," his father said, almost in relief, as he pulled her into a warm hug.

Katara, however, pulled herself away from the embrace quickly, her gaze diverted.

"I'm going to go practice my waterbending," she murmured before turning around.

She walked quickly away, toward her favorite spot, isolated on the very outskirts of the village. There, she had easy access to the water and had a wonderful view of the sea. Jagged peaks of gleaming white ice protruded from the tranquil blue water, as the horizon far ahead was blurred by the intensity of the blue in the sky. The sun shined brightly overhead, warming the air to more comfortable temperatures. Because very few people actually came here, this secluded spot amid rocks and ice was the perfect escape.

Katara skidded down the slope of a small hill toward her spot, glad to have a private place to think. Waterbending always had a calming effect on her, and she was eager to call upon this effect today.

Planting her feet firmly on the ground, she moved her arms through the air, shifting her weight through the stances as the water before her bent to her will, flying overhead, flowing around her. She pushed and pulled, watching the play of water as it spun. She inhale deeply and exhaled smoothly. She was feeling better already.

Lifting her eyes to the sky in the distance, she froze in her movements as the water whip fell out of shape and splashed over her boots. Oblivious to this, she narrowed her eyes, focusing on the puffs of unnatural black clouds in the air, sharply contrasting with the soft blues and whites.

What was that?

She moved closer, as a black form steadily emerged on the horizon. _What an ugly thing_, she thought, watching as the monstrosity approached. She felt certain that it bode ill, so she abandoned her waterbending practice and ran up the small hill to warn the rest of her village.

"Something's coming our way!" she shouted to the villagers as she ran.

Murmurs rose in the tribe as the men and women looked outward toward the sea to confirm her warning. Something was certainly arriving and making an awful racket. The tribesmen abandoned their own tasks and approached the shore, away from the boundaries of the village, curiously.

The thing looked so horribly different from the water tribe's canoes. For such a massive structure, the ship was nevertheless proving to be dexterous as it navigated through the treacherous waters filled with hidden dangers below the calm surface. The ship certainly looked strange, but it moved even more strangely. It seemed that with each foot it progressed, it was getting lower and lower, almost submerging into the water. Then finally, an atrocious screeching noise that nearly pierced her eardrums sounded as the bow of the ship slid onto the icy shore.

Katara saw her father and the other warriors stand stoically before the crowd, watching warily with their hands on their weapons.

With a loud clank, an enormous plank of metal fell onto the ice. Katara cringed. She looked at the ship and was surprised to see an enormous gash on the side of the metal. Maybe that was why the ship had been sinking.

More clanks resonated from within the ship, and figures clad in red and black armor appeared from the darkness above the long plank. Katara could not remember a time when her village had been as quiet as it was now.

The leader of the small group stopped before the gathering, and with golden eyes narrowed and lips set in a hard line, he surveyed his surroundings. Hakoda and the warriors drew the weapons with eyes no more friendly.

Who were these people? Katara had never seen such odd clothing. Weren't they cold without thick furs in the South Pole? She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked closely at the leader. He had a ghastly scar across his left eye, making him appear all the more intimidating. She couldn't help but wonder, though, how he got the scar. Even despite the hostility that he exuded, she felt a twinge of sympathy in her heart. How could anyone bear to live with such a disfigurement on his face? When he spoke, however, the hint of sympathy vanished into thin air.

"Where's the Avatar?" he demanded, his voice harsh and cold. "I know he's around here!"

She doubted he was much older than her own brother.

"The Avatar isn't here," answered her father firmly and defiantly, his weapon drawn and at the ready. "We, like you, have not seen the Avatar for a hundred years."

The stranger's eyes flashed dangerously as he looked at Hakoda.

"You're hiding him!" he shouted angrily. "Show me where he is, and no one will get hurt!"

"You and your kind are not welcome here," said Hakoda calmly.

Smoke streamed from the stranger's nostrils. With a quick movement, fire erupted from his fingertips, and it hurtled toward her father! Hakoda was stoic, but Katara screamed. However, the fire merely lurched into Sokka's meticulously constructed watchtower of snow and ice, promptly evaporating it. She heard Sokka whimper beside her as he watched the ruins.

"SHOW ME WHERE YOU'RE HIDING THE AVATAR!" he yelled, fuming. "Or next time, I won't miss."

A short, plump figure emerged from the small group of firebenders, placing a calming hand on the young man's shoulder. He turned to the angry group of warriors and chuckled nervously.

"Please excuse my nephew here," he said genially. "He has is rather impatient now after months of traveling at sea. We apologize for intruding, but as you can see, our ship needs some repair, so please allow us to stay here until our ship is repaired."

The angry young man glared darkly at his uncle but said nothing. For a moment the warriors stood immobile, with their weapons poised, the same murderous looks on their faces. Finally, Hakoda slowly lowered his weapons, and the others followed suit.

"After you've finished your repairs, you must leave at once," said Hakoda. "I'm not particularly fond of firebenders right on my doorstep. One suspicious act and we'll send you to the bottom of the sea."

"Of course." The old man bowed as his nephew's scowl deepened.

"Come," said Hakoda to his tribe, turning around and heading back to the village.

The villagers left, deeply suspicious of these newcomers, and many glanced over their shoulders, afraid that the firebenders might attack once their backs were turned. Only Katara lingered several paces behind the rest of the tribe, and she watched the young firebender curiously but also distrustfully. His intense gaze stared directly back at her, and she diverted her eyes, jogging back to her brother and father.

She could not imagine how the two of them could ever get along.

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**A/N:** Please review!


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